He Ain't Heavy
by Zenamydog
Summary: WEECHESTERS! Dad's after a black dog and Dean's kinda pissed that he can’t help. But sometimes being a big brother isn’t such a bad thing, especially when your little brother is Sam Winchester. See Spoiler warning!


**Title:** He Ain't heavy. 1/1.

**Author:** Zenamydog

**Rating:** PG-13.

**Characters:** Weechesters! Sam, (6) Dean, (10) John. Angst!

**Warnings:** *Blink and miss Spoilers for 4.21 & 4:22.*

**Beta:** Winchesterxgirl

**Disclaimer:** Man, if I owned these boys… It would happen just like I write it.

Sammy was asleep, like all good six-year-old boys should be at three in the morning. The difference being that the back seat of their Dad's car was his bed and Dean's jacket was his blanket.

Dean on the other hand sat cross-armed in the front passenger seat. He wanted to turn the radio on, something to take his mind off of how angry he was, but he didn't want to wake Sammy.

Their Dad had stumbled onto a hunt while on their way to Pastor Jim's. It was a black dog their Dad had said. Dean sighed and looked back at his sleeping brother.

Sammy always screwed things up for him when it came to hunting. God, Dean hated him sometimes. If it wasn't for Sam, then he'd be in there right now, alongside his father, where he should be.

Sammy was too young for this and their Dad knew it, but there wasn't enough time to drop them off at a motel. Uncle Bobby had called saying he had the animal trapped in an old church.

They'd high-tailed it across town and met Uncle Bobby. Now, he and his Dad were in there, saving the town, while he was out here, babysitting and freezing his ass off.

Sammy turned over in the back seat and pulled Dean's jacket up tighter around his neck.

Dean watched for a second as he settled back down to sleep. "Damn you, Sammy," Dean said quietly and turned back to face the front.

Dean had seen that Sammy was cold. He was seeking warmth from Dean's jacket and…

Dean furrowed his brow. _I don't care. Why does it have to be my responsibility, anyhow?_

Sam was trembling and Dean could feel the small, shallow waves of shaking, through the seat.

_Nope… Not my responsibility. I should be in there helping Dad and Uncle Bobby._

As Sam's trembling got more noticeable Dean clasped his hands together. That lasted for less than a minute, before he pulled the keys out of the ignition, got out of the car and went to the trunk.

He opened the trunk with the keys and reached for the spare blanket. When he picked it up, his eyes flashed to the older shotgun, John had since updated.

Dean looked at the gun and towards the church. Sometimes he really did wish he didn't have a little brother.

He looked back up at the church and grinned. Maybe he could just lock Sammy in the car. A black dog can't get into a locked car, Dean was pretty sure.

Dean's smile was genuine as he grabbed the gun. He opened the back door of the car and tossed the blanket quickly over Sam. "I'll be back soon, kiddo," he said more to himself than to Sam.

Sam whimpered a little and Dean frowned. _No… No you're not going to do this to me again. Dad needs me._ Dean closed the door as quietly as he could and turned to walk towards the church.

He was only a foot away from the entrance when he heard Sammy cry out his name. It wasn't a wussy or an _I want,_ cry, but one that was laced with fear and panic.

_Sammy?_ His brother's name rang loudly in his head as he turned to race back to the car.

It all happened so fast that Dean wasn't sure what to do. As he turned to run back, the church doors opened with a huge thud and the black dog… No… two black dogs came running out. They were closely followed by John and Bobby.

Bobby took a shot and missed, but his Dad got them both.

There was a second of pride, before Sammy screamed out again and then he was at the car and throwing the back door open.

Sammy was all twisted up in the blanket, half on the seat, half off. His arms were flailing and he was shaking.

Dean climbed in and scooped his little brother on to his knee in one movement. "Hey, hey… Sammy?" He had to hold his arms to keep from getting hit. "Sammy, wake up! You're having a nightmare!"

Sam's eyes opened wide, but they looked dazed. "Dean?"

Dean smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, buddy. It was just a nightmare."

"The bad dogs." Sam clutched his arm.

Dean furrowed his brow. "Bad dogs?" Sam had probably heard them talk about the black dog.

"There's two of them. Tell Daddy there's two."

He started to shift Sammy off of his knee, but the boy took hold of Dean's hoodie and buried his face into Dean's chest.

When Sammy started to cry, Dean wrapped both arms around him and pulled him in tight. "It's okay, Sammy. Dad got'em. Uncle Bobby missed, but Dad got both of them." He smiled.

Sam shook his head and leaned back to look at him with tear filled eyes. He started to say something, but Dean interrupted. "How'd you even know that, Sammy? That there were two of them? Was it in your dream?"

Sammy went back to hugging Dean's chest and he felt Sam's shake of the head. "No," Sam whispered.

"Then how---,"

Dean's words were cut off when John opened the door and hopped back into the car.

Dean immediately took inventory of his father. Small cut across forehead, blood stain on right shoulder and left arm… He sighed. His Dad wasn't banged up or hurt too bad at all.

John turned in the seat to look at both of them. "What's wrong with Sammy?"

"He knew there were two dogs, Dad."

John frowned. "What do you mean he knew?"

"I heard him scream and when I came back he was having a nightmare and he said…"

Dean trailed off as the murderous look on his father's face grew.

"I saw you out there, Dean. You disobeyed a direct order."

"I'm sorry, Dad, I am, but the only reason you wouldn't let me go with you was because Sammy had to be safe and I figured that if he was locked---,"

"Enough! No excuses, Dean." John looked at Sammy and then back to Dean. "You too, Dean! You need to be safe, too. You almost got yourself killed out there. If you had walked another three or four feet, those dogs would have… It's lucky Sammy called you when he did."

Dean could see the fine veins in the side of his neck starting to pop up and that meant his Dad was emotional or angry. In this case, both.

"Yes Sir," Dean said and he felt Sam snuggle in tighter to his chest and squeeze.

"There'll be consequences," John stated and looked him straight in the eye. "Your job is to look after Sam and you put him in danger."

"What?" Dean's eyes widened. Never… He would never put Sam in danger.

"How else would he know that there were two black dogs, Dean? Think about it. He must have got out of the car to call you and he saw them."

Dean took in a breath and shook his head slightly. It made sense. It made perfect sense, but… "I don't think so, Dad. He looked like he was still asl--"

John turned to face the front and started the car. Dean knew that meant, end of discussion. He took in a deep breath and then caught Dean's eye in the rearview mirror. "You riding shotgun or what?"

Dean smiled and for a split second he was actually going to shove Sammy off to move up front, but Sammy was still trembling and suddenly the weight of what had happened came crashing down.

Sammy had just saved his life, whether he knew it or not and all he wanted to do was to sit up front with his Dad.

He took in a breath. "Nah, it's okay. I'll sit back here."

"Suit yourself." The Impala pulled out onto the road.

"Thank you," Sammy's voice was small.

Dean bowed his head so he could talk into Sam's ear. "It's okay, Sammy. I'm…"

Sam looked up at him with both fear and awe in his eyes and suddenly it was easy to say. "I'm sorry, Sammy. I should never have left you."

Something in Dean's stomach began to ache and it got stronger as Sammy still clung to him for dear life. He was shaking and crying, although he was trying hard to hide it.

"Hey, come on, Sammy," Dean soothed quietly. "It all worked out okay."

Sam shook his head. "Not gonna. One day it's not gonna. The bright light's gonna come up from the ground."

Kid was still half asleep. Dean shifted Sammy's body so he sat more between his legs and not on his bony knees. Sam's cheek rested against his chest and Dean kissed the top of his head. "Go back to sleep, Sammy. It was just a dream."

A few minutes past and Sammy lulled into him. Dean was sure that he was asleep, when suddenly Sam spoke, "I'll be better, Dean. I promise."

Dean was falling asleep himself under the warmth of his brother's body. "Huh?" He sat up a little. "Better at what?"

Sammy shrugged. "So you won't get mad at me anymore."

Dean was confused. "I'm not mad at you, Sammy. What makes you think that I'm mad?"

"I know why Daddy…" Sam lifted his head and turned weary eyes on his father.

John had the radio on softly and was staring straight ahead. Dean was sure he couldn't hear them. "It's okay, Sammy. Why Dad what?" He jostled his brother a little.

Sammy took in a shuddering breath and Dean thought he might burst into tears again. "Daddy goes away all the time. I know he has to. I know his job means we have to stay a lot with Caleb and Pastor Jim, or Uncle Bobby. I get that, but…"

Dean was starting to tense. If Sammy was about to ask what Dad did for a job, exactly, then… "But what, Sammy?" He tried to keep the hesitancy out of his voice.

"He has to. I know that. He has to go away."

"But?" Dean could see tears brimming in his little brother's eyes.

"You don't." Sam's body tensed and he buried his head back into Dean's chest. "I'll do better, so you won't want to leave."

That feeling in his stomach had just done a somersault. "What are you talking about, Sammy? I'm not going anywhere."

"But you want to."

Okay, so the somersault was now being joined by back flips. _How could you possibly know that?_

"Do you still want to, Dean? Please. I'll be better, I---,"

"Will you stop saying that," Dean blurted out.

Dean looked up at his Dad through the rearview mirror.

"Everything okay, back there?" John asked.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Dean reassured. "Sammy just woke up, that's all."

"Either of you boys need to go to the bathroom? There's a small blink and miss town coming up in about an hour."

Dean didn't really need to go to the bathroom, but he really could do with getting out of the car and moving his legs. They were starting to fall asleep. "Yes, Sir. That would be good."

John went back to driving and Dean leaned down to talk softly into Sammy's ear. "Sammy, you don't have to be better at anything and I don't know where you got the idea that I wanted to leave you, but it's not true."

"Yes it is. You wanted to go with Uncle Bobby and Dad to kill the bad dog. You wished you didn't have a little brother."

Dean shook his head. He was starting to be a little freaked by Sammy's accuracy and he tried to remember if he said anything out loud. "Is that what you dreamt, Sammy? Was that your nightmare?"

Sam nodded. "And then it was all different," he started to sob.

"What do you mean?"

"In my dream. You said I meant nothing too you and that you were sick of pretending to be my brother." Sammy leaned against him to try and muffle the sobs. "You called me a vampire, but… but you were all grown up. Old, like… twenty and I think I was too."

Dean grinned and blew out a breath. He made Sam look at him. "See… There ya go, Sammy. We're not grown up. It was just a nightmare." Dean was relieved when it couldn't have been anything else. What else… He had no clue, but… "And as if I'd ever call you a vampire." He nudged his brother. "Freak, maybe, but vampire?"

Sammy flinched slightly at the word freak and Dean felt bad again. He knew his brother didn't like it when he teased him.

"Look, Sammy, I swear, I'm not going anywhere. You're right… I did want to go after the black dog, but you were in the car and I knew you'd be safe. I would never…"

Sam's eyes had changed. There was no fear in them now, only awe and it brought a lump to his throat. Dean recognized it, because it was how he looked at his father. "I'd never put you in harm's way, Sammy. You gotta believe that."

"But you hate looking after me."

"Sammy." Dean was feeling a little frustrated. "I don't okay? I… Yeah, sometimes I just want to get out there and help Dad and sometimes it's annoying having to stay with you, but that doesn't mean I'd ever really leave you, Sammy. I wouldn't… couldn't do that. You're…"

Sammy looked at him and it was clear he wanted Dean to finish that sentence.

"It's my job, Sammy and I take it seriously."

"Because Daddy made you." Sam said it as fact.

"No…" Dean made Sam sit up straighter to look at him. "Okay, well, yeah…" He took in a deep breath. "You're my little bro, Sammy. I'll always be here to look after you. That's what family's do."

"You think I'm a freak." The tears showed in his voice.

"Look… Sammy I'm sorry about that, but… I… I don't know how you know things sometimes. It's not the first time you've come out with things like this. How you knew there were two dogs; you have to admit that's a little weird."

"There were two bad dogs?" Sammy looked surprised.

Dean frowned. "Yes, you said…" Dean trailed off when it was obvious Sam had no idea what he was talking about.

Dean shifted in the seat and pulled Sammy back against his chest. "We'll be stopping soon. I'll wake you." He suddenly didn't want to discuss it.

Sam closed his eyes at Dean's bidding. Dean could feel him slowly relax and his breathing evened out. When he was sure Sammy was asleep, he said quietly, "You did know, Sammy. I don't know how, but you did."

Twenty minutes later, Dean watched as the small town they were going to pull over in, came into sight. He'd be glad to get Sammy off of him. His knees and bum had fallen asleep.

"Okay, boys," John said as he pulled off the road and into a gas station. He got out of the car and started to fill it with gas.

"Hey," Dean said and bucked his hips up. "Time to get off." He really did need to go to the toilet, now. "Wake up sleepyhead."

Sam opened his eyes and yawned. "Where are we?"

Dean shrugged and pushed at his brother. "Five miles past Hicksville."

"Hicksville?"

Dean smiled at his brother as they both got out of the car. "Never mind," he said as he tousled Sam's hair.

John had his head under the hood. Sam and Dean looked at each other when they heard a few choice swear words, come from their father.

"What's the problem, Dad?"

John shook his head. "Not sure, but the radiator's heating up. Could be a leak."

Sam pulled at Dean's arm. "I need to go to the bathroom."

Dean automatically started to look for the 'toilet' signs, when his dad said, "Dean, get me a wrench and a Philips head."

"Sammy wants to go to the bathroom, Dad. I'll just---,"

John looked up from under the hood and glared at Dean. "Sammy can take himself. I need a wrench."

Dean felt, more than saw, Sammy tense. "Ahh… I need to go too, Dad." It wasn't a lie, so he knew he could hold his father's gaze.

John sighed and walked to the trunk to retrieve the tools himself. "Hurry up then."

Sammy walked really close to him as they made there was towards the toilet sign with the arrow.

He could tell that Sammy wanted to stay right beside him, so he adjusted his step, so the kid wasn't running.

"I'm gonna be taller than you when I grow up," Sam said and there was a spark of cheekiness back in his tone.

Dean smirked down at his brother. "No you're not."

Sam met his eyes and Dean actually _felt_ the certainty in them. He didn't want his mind to say it, but it did. _Freak._

The toilet signs led them to the back of the gas station and around the corner. It seemed it really was an 'out-house'.

When Dean couldn't see his Dad any more, he reached down. A small hand took an even smaller one and squeezed.

"Maybe you will be taller one day, Sammy. Maybe you will."

**THE END.**

**AN:** Well guys, there you have it. My second ever, Weechester fic. Really hope you enjoyed? *group hug* Z xx


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